


Destcember 2019

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Destcember, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Lives, will be some Shadowkeep stuff in here most likely
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 12,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21626086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: a Destcember collection for 2019, featuring more stories of my various Guardian OCs.
Relationships: Ghost/Guardian (Destiny), Guardian/Guardian (Destiny), Lucy Carter (OC)/Ison (OC), Murph-9 (OC)/Valis (OC), Nelan (OC)/Ivo (OC)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	1. A New Look

**Author's Note:**

> also alternatively titled, Destcember 2: Electric Boogaloo
> 
> (and I know I never finished last years. I'm gonna try and finish up that set to post by years end ^^)

“Hold still; I’m just about done.”

Ivo mumbled something she didn’t quite catch, but she was more focused on the task at hand. She fitted the last light back in place with a click and lifted her hands away.

“There.” She said to him. “Does that feel better?”

Ivo drifts from side to side, giving a thoughtful hum. With the Red War over, Nelan’s finally gotten a chance to fix up Ivo’s shell. She had given it a touch of of paint and replaced one of the lights she had originally placed on it. She had made this shell for Ivo originally and he loved it so. She’d wanted to fix it since their arrival on the Farm, there was just never a good moment.

“It’s not a major difference, but I can at least rotate my points again with ease. And the replacement light helps. Thank you.” Ivo replied.

Nelan smiled at him. Her lovely Ghost still bared the a few scrapes and scratches that showed through the color application, but he seemed better. Happier. And so she was happy.

A knock at the door of her apartment made her look over her shoulder toward the noise. “Yes?”

“Package for Nelan; Hunter.” A voice called back. “Oh- and her Ghost too.”

“One moment.”

She leans over and pats her Ghost on top of his shell, then going to her door to answer whoever was there. She doesn’t remember ordering any new part for any of her weaponry, or Ivo placing an order of food for her.

Outside in the hall she finds a courier holding a box and smiling at her. “Ah, hello.”

“Hi.” Nelan greets. She senses Ivo come up beside her. “Um, this is?”

“A gift, in appreciation for your efforts during the Red War.”

“A gift?” She repeated. She’d already received plenty of thanks, other platitudes, and a pulse rifle that glowed like a nebula already for the same reason.

“I think some Ghosts asked to have this delivered to you? They went by Zora and Rheya.”

Lucy and Murph’s Ghosts; of course. Nelan took the box. “Thanks.”

The courier gave a nod and then went on their way. Nelan stared after them for a moment, and then retrieved into her apparent, closing the door behind her.

“What was that about?” Ivo asked, scanning the box. “And they said Zora and Rheya sent this?”

“Well, let’s see.” Nelan replied, sitting down on the couch. She opened the box, ivo nearby and looking down into it with curiosity. After removing some crumpled up paper from the top, Nelan found the object. She recognized the shape.

From inside the box, Nelan pulled out a shell. White with a cobalt blue snake painted on the front; a Hunter symbol.

“A new shell?” Ivo wondered aloud.

“Appears to be.” Nelan found a note in the box too. The note read, ‘for Ghosts who are proud to be a Hunter’s partner. Ivo deserves something too; she’s a brave friend who helped guide a great Guardian. Zora & Rheya.’

“So it is from them.” Ivo observes the shell. “It’s certainly striking with the colors.”

“Do you want to try it on?”

“Oh, certainly.”

Once Ivo was situated in his new shell he asked Nelan what she thought of it. She pondered this; she liked the shell a lot. For some reason it felt right to see him with a shell like this. There was also the unintentional side effect of Ivo’s core being painted in the same cobalt blue as the snake (she figured it was from the shell, since that had happened after the shell was on).

Nelan smiled. “You look pretty… and handsome.”

“...Really? Is- Is it really that- Um, thank you.” He spoke softly but she could tell he was pleased with her answer.

He then spent the next five minutes debating whether to wear this shell or continue wearing the one Nelan originally made him. It amused Nelan a bit, but she had no preference.

“Whatever you prefer, love.” She eventually told him. “You look good in both.”

Ivo nuzzled her cheek at her comment, to which she returned with a kiss.


	2. Glimmer of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set to the song Persuasion System, by Com Truise

_I._

She feels the Earth beneath her, hears the hum of the Shard, but she also feels warm; feels a dull sense of it. She’s not sure why. It’s much better than how she’s felt this past week though.

There’s a touch of something at her face. Cool metal.

“Guardian- Nelan… Tell me you can hear me. Say something.”

It’s his voice; the voice of her Ghost. Ivo. His voice no longer had any trace of distortion or glitching.

“Oh no… Oh no, what if it’s killed you?”

‘ _You’re wrong.’_ The Hunter thinks. She knows this dull warmth she feels; the familiarity of it.

She manages to open her eyes, seeing Ivo hovering above her. He looks better, his shell looking almost like he hadn’t fallen off an airship, save for the scuffs and scrapes still there. He has taken notice that she has regained consciousness, but says nothing yet.

She smiles to ease his worry. “I’m okay...”

“Thank the Light.” He finally says, giving a sigh of relief. “I passed the energy from the Shard to you and you lit up like a flame. You were so beautiful… And then you fainted. I may have panicked a little. That aside though, do you feel any different? I think it worked.”

Nelan managed to get to her feet, swaying a little. “It did. I feel the Light.”

“...So I didn’t imagine it. It worked. It actually worked!” Ivo did a flip in the air and then excitedly circled her head. “The Light is back! We’re back!”

Nelan laughed, bringing her hands up to cup around her Ghost once he stopped moving. “You look healed.”

“The Light must have restored my systems back to normal. And you- my scan shows you’re completely healthy again. No traces of illness. Oh, but- hm...”

She frowned at him, letting her hands fall back to her side. “What is it?”

He studied her, and then scanned her again. After a moment, he said, “I can sense the Light within us both, but there doesn’t seem to be as much as before, like it’s weaker somehow.”

“What?” Nelan could feel the dull warmth of her solar Light, but she had to admit, it didn’t feel as strong. “...I think you’re right.” Nelan looked to the Shard. “This is just a piece of the Traveler; cast away and alone for a long time. It may have been able to restore our Light, but maybe only a small piece of it.”

“It’s plausible… Are we going to be able to fight back against the Cabal like this?”

Nelan flexed her hands, trying to concentrate on her Light. She imagined the feel of the flames in her hands, embers dancing across her. She remembered the feel of a Golden Gun, of the flames. Her hands grew warm and it materialized.

The orange glow reflected it her bright eyes and she observed it. She then raised the hand holding the manifestation of her Light and fired it into the sky like a flare. She heard its echo, and in the next instant, it faded like a campfire gone cold. Her hand trembled and she felt dizzy.

Ivo said something, but she didn’t hear; putting a hand to her head to make the sudden spell go away. Yet she smiled.

“It isn’t as strong,” She managed. “but it’s something. It’s hope.”

_II._

The Light returning to her came in a rush, sparking inside her. She stumbled, falling to her knees and her body shuddering with the familiar feeling of Arc.

“Whoa- Ison. What is it? Talk to me.” Neo fretted.

She felt it flare, come to life, and for a moment the Warlock worried it was going to all spiral out of control, but it didn’t. It calmed and buzzed peacefully.

It was there.

Ison, disbelieving, looked up at her Ghost. “The Light is back with me. By the Goddess, she was right.”

“Yes… Yes, it is.” Neo confirmed. “I feel it too!”

Ison breathed in, reveling in the feeling of her Light returned to her; the Arc energy she knows so well. It’s comforting to have it back, and to be honest, she didn’t even know if this was going to work in the first place. She’s glad she did.

After spending a few days tending to her sick friend, Nelan, she had gone to check on her, but found the Hunter gone. All that was left was a note saying she had gone into the EDZ to find the Shard, which she theorized might restore her Light, following a dream she had. Ison was skeptical, but since she had a similar dream after escaping the City, she decided to take a leap of faith and see how much truth this theory held.

The leap was worth it.

Ison channeled it into her hand, as if to summon a grenade- she wanted to see the sparks once again, still unbelieving it was really back.

Her skin tingled, and there was a blue crackle across her fingertips…. And then nothing.

“Huh?” She stared at her hand, confused.

“Odd.” Neo observed. “Your Stormcaller abilities usually aren’t so subdued.” He paused to scan her. “...It’s your Light! It’s there, but it’s not as strong as before.

“While I’m glad that means I don’t have to worry about possibly having my powers get the better of me, why is that? It feels the same, but it’s not.”

“Must be the Shard.” Neo reasons.

“Maybe. Hawthorne said it was a corrupted thing now.”

“You still think this was a good idea?”

“We have our Light, even if it’s not the same. We have to make do.”

So, Ison accepted it. Something like this was nothing short of a miracle, and she would have to adapt.

It was, after all, even as a small weak spark, hope.

They could turn the tide.

_III._

He didn’t exactly feel cold, but still he somehow felt some semblance of a chill. A shiver ran through him.

The void he knew was with him once more; he could feel it.

‘ _Looks like that detour was worth it after all.’_ Tyrell thought to himself.

The Void came to him easily enough, and he called upon it now; to make sure losing the Light in the first place hadn’t shot his ability to use Shadowshot. He called the Void to form the bow and arrow, and watched the shadows take shape, purple shades filling his vision. Though his sight was mostly in dull tones of every day color, he could see purple the best and brightest, possibly due to his Void atonement.

The Hunter took the position, drew back the arrow, and aimed for a tree nearby. He let go and watched it fly, striking the tree and instantly forming the tether. However, Tyrell couldn’t find it within him to summon more tethers. The one he had fired didn’t even keep as long (but it didn’t have anything to snare anyway).

“What the hell?” Tyrell questioned. “I could only do one. And- Ah, damn. My arm feels weird; numb almost.”

“The latter might be because of your injury.” Bastian commented, having watched it all. “But something has felt off since you touched the Shard- our Light.”

Tyrell huffed and turned to his Ghost. “What are you thinking, buddy?”

“We have Light, but there’s fluctuations. It’s not as strong as it used to be. Since the Shard itself is merely a piece, what we got in Light is a reflection of that.”

“Makes enough sense I suppose, much as I might not like it. You’d know better than me anyway.” Tyrell glanced up at the Shard, taking in the sight of its broken form. “Better than nothing.”

He decided to try and make his way back to the patrol group he had been with, or at least back to the Farm. He’d been heading out towards Trostland when he decided to take a detour to the Shard. They’d likely noticed he’d gone missing by now. But he’d been itching to go exploring, especially with rumors and tales of the Shard that circled about the Farm.

And then there was that dream he had…

“Are you going to tell them? Anyone?” Bastian asked him as they started to trek back to the Farm.

“They’re gonna find out, even if I can’t use Shadowshot to the same degree.” Tyrell answered. “Besides, something like what happened back there- others might see it as hope, that maybe this situation isn’t as hopeless. There’s still a glimmer of hope left, and that’s what we need right now.”

“You’ll still have to be careful.”

“Yeah, I know, but in the meantime, we’re gonna do what we can. We’ll give these people hope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal headcanon (mostly for my OCs) is that there were some in the war who were able to regain their Light if they decided to take a chance and travel to the Shard, like these three. Most dismissed it outright since it was a cast off Shard and shared in the collective opinion that it's corrupted and vacant of anything useful. However, what Light was given back is not as strong as it used to be, as the regained Light came from a shard of the Traveler that had been separated from it for centuries. They were only able to regain a piece of Light. Also in their case, they are locked to their most frequently used energy type and can burn through their reserves and strength easily if they're not careful leaving them weak and vulnerable. In that case they will need time to let what little Light they have replenish.


	3. A Long Shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time thinking of something for this one. However, as I was relistening to wtnv at work today, there was a line from the weather of ep. 70A that caught my attention, and then I knew what I was going to write.
> 
> So- this chapter takes inspiration from a line from the song Pyramid, by Jason Webley: "When you start your life anew, does that long shadow follow you?"
> 
> (also the discussions of past lives here are set to be elaborated on in stories I will write at some point)

When Nelan told then what she had found, something she wasn’t supposed to seek, Lucy and Murph could only listen with patience and sympathy.

Elm, Nelan’s tattoo artist, had offered her own shop as a space for them to talk; putting up a sign for passerby that said she was out for lunch. Elm already knew most of what happened, and she was a trusted friend of Nelan. She merely made tea for the group of Guardians and tended to her own business while Nelan told her tale. Elm promised anything they said at her shop would stay there.

Finding Andrix had lead to the discovery of her past self; a name that was once hers once upon a time. An original inhabitant of the Reef that chose to live a life on Earth instead. Some never forgot that though, it seemed. She had a sister; unknown and lost to time except for a name. And then the last moment; falling over Old Russia.

“That’s pretty much all off it.” Nelan said, eyes cast to the floor. “I realize these are thing we’re not supposed to go digging into, but… I’m not entirely sure what to do with it.”

Lucy notices the Hunter’s Ghost gently nudge her head with his shell, and she leans her head toward him with a sigh. She understands why her friend feels this way. She had felt a similar thing after her revelations with the Derelict Mind.

“I understand.” Murph speaks up. “We’re not supposed to know, and now that you do, there’s no turning back. It’s like a long shadow that follows you.”

Nelan looks up towards him and gives a nod. “Yes.”

“It follows me too.” He continues. “Before we met, I was investigating a Hive ritual on the Moon. I almost died at the hands of two powerful wizards there. I’m still not exactly sure how it happened, but in my near-perma death experience a memory was triggered. It was from my past life.”

Now Lucy was interested. “You know your past too?”

“Some of it. I know there was a cold natured man and his son. I know there was someone who tried to free me from something. I know I died for someone I cared about. I still don’t know how I ended up on the Moon, but… I know this much.”

So Murph also knew his past, or whatever he had remembered. He and Nelan we both aware of a secret they shouldn’t know about themselves; an unspoken rule most of the time.

But they weren’t the only ones, because Lucy had her own tale.

“I figured I had been in an army of some sort before.” Lucy said. “I am a Titan; front-line soldier. I was rezzed wearing a trinket common for people in an army. And there were Vex on Venus from my encounter with the Derelict Mind who-” She paused; took a breath. “The Vex are like a hivemind, kinda. These one had me in their memory imprint… from when they killed me and my troop. I couldn’t save them back then...”

Lucy bowed her head, remembering seeing that reflection of herself in the moments before she died in that life.

“So we all have our past lingering it about us like a long shadow.” Nelan finally spoke.

Lucy glanced from Murph, and then to Nelan, giving the Hunter a soft smile. “Yes. But even if these are secrets only we can share with each other, know you’re not alone in how you feel, Nelan.”

“I second that.” Murph agreed. “We’re friends, and a team. We have our shadows, but we have each other.”


	4. Dark Side of the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to focus on Nightmares for this prompt.
> 
> Just a note: I do plan on writing a series of one-shots with each of my Guardian OCs facing their own Nightmares. These are touched upon here, in kinda a basic summary. They will be given their own stories later on... (or whenever I get to it bc I've got many, many wips… and the new stuff for D2's season of the dawn dropped today, so...)

The Moon, Luna, was not as they remembered. With the discovery of the Pyramid, and the rise of the Scarlet Keep, came the Nightmares.

What was understood by Nelan, first told this by Eris, was that Nightmares contained essences that could be extracted and used to create armor and weapons, with the aid of a Hive artifact. Nelan had faced the Nightmares before, briefly but understood the goal. The armor made from the varied essences would allow her past the Pyramind’s wards.

Nelan called up a few friends to hunt the Nightmares. Sometime later, others she knew came to the Moon and discovered Nightmares of their own.

Each one, in their own time, faced Nightmares that seemed to rise from the dark corners and shadows of the Moon.

Nelan’s Nightmare was the stranger of the group. Lured down into the Hellmouth chambers, into the World’s Grave, her Nightmare taunted her at first by taking a form she knew too well. It took the form of Andrix Vil; someone Nelan had known in her previous life and someone who had also hurt her Ghost, Ivo. She was still haunted by the image of Andrix pulling a gun on Ivo. And then, the Nightmare twisted and warped into the Nexus Zero; the Gelida she had faced on Europa and caused her to nearly die at Site 47. Nelan had nightmares for several months after its defeat.

In the here and now, she managed to defeat the Nightmare, but she was shaking terribly after and fled for the Sanctuary.

Meanwhile, Murph had gone into a Nightmare hotspot near the Scarlet Keep and to his surprise, found a Nightmare of twin Wizards he had faced years ago on the same moon; Proton and Electron. Back then, Murph had gone to investigate a Hive ritual, but ended up finding the Wizards instead. In his first battle with them, a they nearly killed him when he was shot through the head by one of their bolts. Something about that triggered memories of a past life and tried to use that to their advantage.

In the here and now, Murph did what he had done back there, except this time with the knowledge that the Nightmares were only trying to distract him. He rose above the memories, the trickery, and called upon the Void to slay the Nightmare, like he had done before.

Then there was Valis. Also diving into a Nightmare hotspot, the Nightmare that found him took a form he was all too familiar with. The Sleeper Siren; the one who was responsible for the change that overtook him after Europa. She who poisoned his dreams and lured him to the icy moon for her own purposes. He still bared the scar that had originally marked him as her prey, now hidden under a tattoo.

In the here and now, Valis almost lost himself to the illusion- he prayed this wasn’t real; that he would wake up in his lover’s- Murph’s- arms and find it was all a dream. With Whisper in hand, he remembered the Sleeper Siren could not hurt him now. Valis sought out Murph after he put a bullet in the Nightmare’s head.

Later on came Lucy, investigating Vex invasions with Ison. During their investigation, a Nightmare found Lucy, and it took the form of a Vex Mind called the Derelict Mind. It was a semi-disconnected branch that still had access to Venus’ Citadel, but it’s collective also remembered her from her past life… when they had killed the troop she failed to protect. The Mind had revealed this to her, and she had killed in vengeance for those she could not save before.

In the here and now, Lucy gritted her teeth in defiance. She was a Guardian now; she would not fail those she cared about, nor the City she served. No Nightmare was going to change that.

Meanwhile, Ison thought she was tracking down a lead near a large downed Fallen aircraft. A Nightmare found her all the same, startling her with a Nightmare of the Cabal general she had faced a long, long time ago. An injury had triggered her Stormcaller abilities to spiral out of control briefly. While she had killed the general, she also nearly killed the other Guardian who was with her. Ison never fully recovered from that incident, her Arc energy buzzing under her skin.

In the here and now, things had changed. She had more control now, though the shadow always hung over her. She breathed in, breathed out, and unleashed the hurricane on the Nightmare.

Tyrell was nether on the Moon for Nightmare hunting or fighting Vex. He was on a patrol when he discovered a lost Ghost that contained interesting data. In wanting to dig into more of the mystery he found, he accidentally stumbled into a Nightmare hotspot. It was there he found a Nightmare of Taniks. He knew Taniks because of what happened to Andal Brask, but more personally because of an incident; Tankis killing his friend Giddeon (and his Ghost, Ness), before seriously injuring Valis and attempting to kill Tyrell. Tyrell blamed himself for it all and later on lead a strike mission to take out Taniks for good.

In the here and now, Tyrell had learned to move beyond the loss and pain (though the memories still hurt), and he charged at the Nightmare with conviction.

The Nightmares still lurk now, even through the trials of these six. They will take different forms with others, haunt them in different ways.

Nightmares born from the dark side of the moon, and these were just the start.


	5. A Day Off

Despite the busy lives of Guardians, there were some times where they could take a day to themselves; take a day off. Sometimes it was holidays or sometimes it was just a well needed day of rest for themselves.

Respite could still be found in their busy, paracausal lives.

Today on a day off…

...Valis wakes, feeling well rested and pleasantly warm. He feels content in this half-asleep daze, but also quickly realizes that he’s also hungry. He makes to push the quilt on the bed aside and get out of bed, but something stops him; an arm he forgot was around him. The Warlock chuckles and falls back into bed, turning his body to look over at Murph-9.

The Exo looks at him with his copper eyes and Valis resigns to being snuggled by his partner for a moment. Of course moments later his stomach grumbles, reminding him he’s hungry. He promises Murph breakfast in bed and then cuddles. It’s a lazy day today.

...Lucy and Ison are down in the City shopping. The two Guardians walk arm in arm, Lucy chatting to Ison as they walk along. Zora is hovering nearby, though Neo is not with them (he’s off spending time with Tyrell’s Ghost, Bastian). Some people recognize them and wave or say hello, the children especially.

The two wander into a shop and Lucy spots some shoes that look interesting. Ison, taking notice of this, says she’ll buy the shoes for Lucy as an early Dawning present… even though the Dawning is still two weeks away. Ison insists it’s an early present and gives Lucy a kiss. The Titan smiles and makes a mental note to pick up those robes (a present for Ison) she has on hold soon.

...Tyrell isn’t sure what to do. No missions, no patrols, no ship repairs in the hangar (they’ve got things covered today). His Ghost is out with Ison’s Ghost at the moment. The SRL league never came back after the Red War. He supposed he could go hang out with Ada… but she’d probably try to find something for him to do, and today was his day off. He could always go down into the City too. It was a pretty big place once you got down there; there had to be something down there to entertain him.

Going into the City, Tyrell wanders around for a little bit; walking around in mostly civilian clothing except for his cloak. He walks by one shop… and then stops and backtracks. There’s a guitar sitting in the window and after a moment of thought he walks into the shop and asks to purchase the guitar. Tyrell takes another look at it as he walks out; he doesn’t know how to play it, or any instrument, but it’s never too late to learn or pick up a new hobby.

…Nelan sits in one of her hiding spots in the new Tower setup, a book on the Iron Lords open on her lap. Ever since working with Lord Saladin during the SIVA Crisis, Nelan has been curious as to the history of the Iron Lords themselves. She learned a bit in between skirmishes with SIVA augmented Fallen, but there was more she wanted to know.

Her Ghost, Ivo, asks her if she ever still thought about the offer she received after the defeat of Aksis. She had been offered to become an Iron Lord. On the rare occasion it crossed her mind; it was tempting. However, Nelan gave the same reason again that she had given before. She’s needed here. She’s needed here for her friends, for the City- to fight the forces of Darkness beyond their borders. She’s happy here. Ivo doesn’t say anything more, but stays snuggled close to her as she continues to read.

It’s a day off, and everything is peaceful.


	6. For Every Rose, A Thorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter one, but it's 12:30 am, I'm tired, and I have work in the morning...
> 
> Sort of a continuation of the first part of chapter 5 (the part with Murph & Valis).

Murph gently, and lazily, brushed a thumb across Valis’ cheek as he held him close in their bed. The other Warlock’s arms were around him, his eyes were closed, and Murph could see a relaxed glow just under his skin.

By the Light- Valis was beautiful in moments like this; these soft, tender moments of quiet peace they shared. He was like a beautiful flower; lovely as even a rose… his kind and beautiful cosmic rose.

Murph’s hand stilled upon that thought though. There was an old saying that went something like “for every rose, a thorn”. Of course he thought back to the old story of Dredgen Yor and the Thorn, which had once been a weapon called Rose. He also thought of the Thorn that he and Valis encountered, which they were able to purify into a new form before it could corrupt Murph.

But the phrase could be applied to Valis as well; he may be like a rose to Murph, but even Valis had his thorns.

“You’re thinking about something.” Valis said softly. Murph looked to find his eyes half open, but with a faint smile.

“How can you tell?” Murph jokingly asked.

The Sunsinger tried to move closer to him, but first relinquishing his hold on Murph so he could bring him in for a kiss instead. “You looked distracted just now.”

“...You remind me of a rose sometimes, you know.”

There was silence for a second before there was a response. “Me? A rose? That’s sweet… though...” His expression grew solemn. “...you know what they say about-”

“That every rose has a thorn- I know.” Murph interrupted. “But even if you have thorns, I will endure them. I will still love you, my rose.”

Valis didn’t say anything. At first his turned his gaze away, and then he curled around Murph, resting his head against his shoulder. Valis still said nothing, but he didn’t need to. Murph didn’t want him to talk unless he wanted to.

Valis did have his thorns, and Murph knew why, though the exact details he never found out until they got together. The things he had gone through after Europa had changed Valis, and he would carry that with him for the rest of his days. There was a reason he didn’t talk about those days much. There was a reason he had started participating in Gambit. There was a reason he carried around that strange sniper.

Still, Murph didn’t mind the thorns.

All he could do was hold Valis in his arms, but hopefully that was enough to anchor him.

‘ _You’re still a rose to me.’_ Murph thought in the silence between them.


	7. Forge Your Destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't think of much, so have this I guess
> 
> (also when I first did the battle described in this chapter, there was a lot more hiding on my part when playing through it)

She was asked if she could kill a god. She said she didn’t have much of a choice.

She doesn’t really know if she can do it though.

“Guardian!”

Nelan hears Ivo’s voice cry out in the same moment her back hits a stone wall and she slumps down against it. A blast from one of those Vex Mind statues had knocked her off her feet and sent her flying back into that wall. Her vision swims, threatening to pull her into unconsciousness, but Ivo keeps her tethered as she feels him working as quick as he can to heal her while phased.

The Hunter struggles to breathe, despair and fear overwhelming her. She’s going to die here; for good. She can’t do this. She can’t-

> _“The Darkness is coming back. We will not survive it this time.”_
> 
> _“A heart of Darkness lies there. Know that if you go, there’s a high likelihood you may not come back at all. Can you accept that in order to save your Traveler?”_

She remembers.

Darkness is returning; it’s here at her feet. That stranger had made it sound like sacrificing herself was the only way.

No.

She would push back the dark. She wasn’t dying today. It was not her fate to die here; she would forge her own path.

“Dammit.” Nelan mutters, gripping her weapon in her hand. She sees miscellaneous Vex closing in. “No… Not like this... Not today.”

She gets up and something sparks like fire inside her; the feeling of Light.

She summons a grenade in a flash and throws it at a few Vex nearby. She fires off her pulse rifle at the other few who dare approach. Striking down the last one, she hears a noise above her; the Vex Mind knows she’s still alive. She twists her head to see it over the pillars, looking right at her.

Nelan takes off running along the outer wall of the area- she needs to find better cover so she can get at this thing. All the while the statue keeps taking shots at her, which thankfully she’s able to outrun. She ducks behind a covering and starts firing at the statue, aiming for the weak spot on its chest and temporarily stunning it. After she runs though a round she’s forced to move as it fires at her again.

This isn’t going to work; she can’t run around in circles forever. If she’s going to beat this, she needs to take a stand.

Taking cover, Nelan requests her rocket launcher. Ivo transmats it into her hands in an instant, telling her there are two shots loaded. She retreats back and hops up onto a platform a few feet above, and from there she takes aim- once she stuns the statue she needs to make her move.

And she can feel the fire of her Light, ready to be called upon.

Nelan fires one, making the statue stumble back a step. She goes to fire her other rocket, but she steps to the side to adjust position and ends up accidentally waking off the edge of the platform exactly as she fires, missing her shot. Her empty rocket launch clatters away, and Nelan is left laying on the floor.

She tries to get up, but sees the shadow looming over her.

She’s out of time.

The weapon of the statue- Vex Mind- whatever- powers up…

‘ _Now!’_

...and fire lights upon her body as a gun- her Golden Gun- materializes in her hand in a moment of desperation. She rolls over onto her back as fast as she can and fires a single shot into the statue, though its chest.

It explodes from within; a solar implosion propelled by the solar bullet filled with Light. The power fueling it dies as well, burning up in the flames.

The fire over her settles and turns into embers, and the Hunter stares in awe of what she’s just done. That was the last of them, she thinks.

It must have been, because when she looks up at the pulsing black mass above her, she sees it start to spasm and dissolve into light. It becomes so bright that she has to look away; the brightness is hurting her eyes.

And just as quickly, it’s over.

Nelan looks back, no longer seeing that darkness. Instead she sees red petals falling from the air.

She’s done it.

And, pushing herself into a sitting position, she reaches a hand up and catches a petal on her open palm.


	8. Alternate Universe

“You… seem familiar.”

Nelan, Reef pilot, turns to the Guardian; studies her face. She does seem familiar; someone from a long ago memory. However, she can’t be sure it is really the person she is thinking of. It could be a coincidence, after all. She had brought in this Guardian who had been caught wandering around where they shouldn’t be. Nelan knew that she should not be conversing with this one, but it was that familiarity that drew Nelan to her after she had finished speaking with the Queen.

“Ah, I’m not sure. I’ve never met you before… as far as I know.” She replies. “We don’t associate with those who have left the Reef or Earth-Born Awoken.”

“But I-” The other Awoken pauses, hesitant. “Hm… I don’t remember really much about my past. My Ghost says that’s normal for Guardians. I don’t know if I was originally from here or not.”

Nelan turns her eyes to the Ghost at her shoulder; a small thing in a turquoise colored shell. Guardians were known to have these things; their companions.

“I must admit.” She says. “You look familiar as well.”

The Guardian tilts her head. “How so?”

“Many years ago, I had a sister. Her name was Thena. We both grew up here, but she was among those who decided to help those on Earth. I never knew what happened to her after that, for reasons stated before. I hardly remember her anymore, but you look kind of like her.”

“I don’t know if I had a sister before, but who really knows. Guardians aren’t supposed to look into their past.”

“Shame...” She looks over the Guardian again, then changed the subject. “I hear tell you seek the Black Garden. Much of it is shrouded in myth but I also hear you are determined to find it.”

“I believe it does exist, and I must find it.” The Guardian insists. “There is something there that threatens us all, and I must go there and stop it.”

“I see… What is your name, Guardian?”

“Somnium.”

Somnium. It was an old song that was a favorite of Thena’s.

Nelan smiles.

* * *

She blinks awake, her Ghost hovering above her.

“Good morning, Guardian.” He greets.

“Oh, uh- Good morning, Ghost.” She says back.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I...” She sits up in bed. “I had a strange dream. I wasn’t a Guardian; I was still living in the Reef. But there was a Guardian in the dream. I have this vague image of Thena in my head from what Andrix made me see, and this Guardian… they looked like the image I have of Thena. And you were there, but you were this Guardian’s Ghost and not mine. I wonder why I had this kind of dream...”

“Interesting. Well, we can’t know for certain why. It could have been a dream of what could have been; another, alternate life where something was different. Or it could have been a dream to express that your sister could still be out there somewhere.”

Nelan lays back in her bed and stares at the ceiling. “Maybe.”


	9. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I was unsure what to do for this one??? On the destcember prompt list, for day 9, it just says the number 9 and nothing else. Not sure what it's supposed to mean, so I just took that as "The Nine".

There’s so many thoughts he has in his head about this whole business with the Nine; The Emissary, the Drifter’s connection to them, the Nine themselves, the messages he’s been receiving. Murph doesn’t know where to begin.

He’s gone off to a quiet corner of the Tower library to think; to reflect. Valis had wanted to follow, but Murph had asked to be alone. Valis was reluctant, but let him be. He knew the Sunsinger Warlock was worried; they both knew the story of Orin, who went looking for the Nine long ago. However, it wasn’t really the nature of the Nine that concerned Murph, rather it was the messages he had been sent.

Especially concerning the last and final message…

The shape on the jade coin.

“Do you think they know?” He says aloud to Rheya. This book has nothing to go on in regards to the pyramid shape he saw in the vision.

“Who?”

Murph looks to her and holds up nine fingers.

“Ah. Based on what we saw, I think they do, or at least to some extent.”

He sighs and closes the book. He thinks back to the Emissary's words, spoken as if as a prophecy. And then the words about the Drifter. He knows about the Nine, and he knows something about the shape on the coin.

Whatever this shape- the sign of an omen- was, both the Nine and Drifter knew about it. Considering current circumstances, and that the last message from the Nine was to be the last, he wasn’t going to be getting any answers any time soon.

It was up to Murph to find his path, like the Emissary said.

“The Nine know a lot, and they do know what this shape is; I can feel it. It makes you wonder what else they know; if they’ve known of our wars and struggles. Maybe they have foreseen it all, but we’re never going to hear that from them. We have to figure it out ourselves, not rely on these entities. Whatever this shape means, it’s bad.”

“Should we talk to Drifter? There is a connection via the Emissary, as we’ve learned.”

“No, not yet. I’m not going to push it after what happened with Anour. However, he knows I’ve been in contact with the Emissary; I’m not going to be able to outrun that. Lets allow things to cool down first, wait till the Gambit Prime tournaments are over, and then we’ll try and see if he knows anything. Here, he’s our best bet for information, and I can use my position as a Gambit Dredgen to do it. We have to wait first.”

Murph still wasn’t sure why the Nine decided to make contact with him, but he knew these messages pointed to something, something looming on the horizon. Cryptic as the Emissary had presented them, perhaps they had been a warning. The Nine knew something was coming, something to do with that shape. It was up to Murph to find the meaning.

But it remained to be seen if he would find the meaning himself, or if it would find him instead.


	10. The Big Bag Theory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was stumped (bc I still don't know if the prompt for today was a typo or not)… and also because Season of Dawn released today.

“What are you doing?” Bastian says, exasperated.

Tyrell sits back staring at the burlap sack and the Vex materials he scavenged here on Nessus “Trying to make a bag that can hold anything.”

“For what reason?” The Ghost floats down closer to him. “And just how do you intend to do that?”

“Er...” Tyrell looks to his materials, then back to his Ghost. “The point is if we had a bag that held anything- just think of how great it would be!”

“Lugging such a thing around probably wouldn’t be as helpful.”

“But we could store ammo- and I could just pull out my Quickfang sword like magic. Arrow after arrow for Le Monarque!”

“You know I can just do that for you, right? I already do that in regards to your sword and ammo for your other equipment.”

Tyrell tilted his head. “How do you do that anyway? Storing all my stuff away?”

“Pocket dimension, to put it plainly.”

“Just like that?”

“There’s a bit more too it, but in summary I can convert your items down into bits of data for easy storage, though I can’t store away everything. This allows me to quickly access ammo reserves, your Quickfang, and other items for you.”

“Like this bag!” Tyrell holds up the bag. “Think you can show me how to make it work?”

“Well, I don’t think I can. I don’t know how to translate what I can do; I just do it. A lot of people seem to see us Ghosts as strange beings that go beyond being a simple AI. They like to form theories. Besides, you’re working with Vex parts; I’m not sure how you would make that work.”

“There might be a way. And if there is, then you won’t have to carry as much with you.”

Bastian appreciated his Guardian’s kind sentiment, as much as he wanted to tell Tyrell that the storage of his items wasn’t a problem. He could let Tyrell continue with this venture for a little bit longer…

...which didn’t last much more than five minutes since Tyrell somehow managed to set the bag on fire.

So much for the big bag theory.


	11. Guardian of Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra scene set in chapter 2 of After The Smoke Clears

Lucy stares up at the night sky, stars splattered across the void. She normally didn’t see the stars like this unless she was off-world; the lights of the City made that difficult. She knew tonight the City’s lights would not be lighting up the night; it was probably still all fire and smoke. It was a terrible thought- her home, in ruin.

The home she had failed.

People had often called Lucy too serious, but she took her role as a Titan seriously. It was her role to protect and defend. She was the one on the frontlines. She was the shield for everything she stood to defend.

When the Cabal had attacked, she knew what she was supposed to do. She had raced up to the Tower plaza to rally with other Guardians, fighting Cabal along the way. However, the Light had been taken before she even reached the Tower. That had been followed up by getting knocked out by a Thresher blast. Waking up after and finding out the Light was no longer with her, she felt anger, and wanted to seek out revenge against those who had done this, but there was no point.

So, with Murph, she was forced to accept defeat and retreat; escaping the City. Still, it felt like she had failed as a Titan; like when she had failed to save her troop from the Vex in a life long since passed.

She had failed. The Cabal had taken everything.

She was a Guardian of nothing now.

Lucy turned over onto her side, screwing her eyes shut and shivering in the cold of night, and the cold of her thoughts.

There was nothing left anymore…

Suddenly there’s a gentle pat on her head, followed by her hair being briefly ruffled. Murph.

His hand pulls away, but she knows it was him. It was like he was trying to tell her “it’s okay”, even though things were very much not okay. Lucy sighed, curling into herself as much as she could. She appreciated Murph’s silent gesture, but that didn’t change the facts.

They had nothing now, out here alone.


	12. Last Man Standing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off something that happened once while doing this strike with people. It pretty much goes down the same way.  
> (though admittedly I was using a celestial nighthawk)

Murph was the first to go down. He had a bad habit of thinking he could tank more damage than he was capable of whenever he put a healing rift down. A stray shot from Brakion hit Murph head on as he tried to thin the crowd of Vex.

Nelan and Lucy, who had been preoccupied by Brakion, made a break for it to get their fallen teammate. A few Vex Goblins and Harpies that Murph hadn’t been able to kill tried to cut them off, and Lucy told Nelan to get to Murph while she held off the giant Hobbgoblin. Nelan made quick work of them using her Graviton Lance, but just when the last one fell, so did Lucy.

The Hunter, now the last one standing, dared a look back. Brakion was still standing… except its head was gone.

Neln knew what Vex were like when that happened.

“Run!” Ivo shouted to her.

Nelan agreed with that. She took off across the area, intending to get to Murph. There was no way she could get to Lucy; the Titan had fallen too close to Brakion.

“Stay alive! Get to Murph if you can!”

Nelan understood what Ivo was saying, but Murph had taken up a position opposite of where she and Lucy had been. He’d been trying to pick off all surrounding Vex with his scout rifle.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she raced over to the Warlock; these sort of situations in which you were the only one still alive was downright terrifying. However, if Nelan could just get to Murph, she could revive him. It would just take a few seconds…

“Hurry, I’m, detecting mo- Nelan, behind you!”

She was just about to reach Murph, make a dive for him, but hearing her Ghost’s yell, she looked over her shoulder and realized Brakion had caught up to her. There was no time to rez Murph.

But the fire in her was ready to be released as well.

In a similar fashion to something she had done years ago, Nelan made a split second decision that was ether going to save her or not matter at all. She turned on her heel, and willed her Golden Gun into existence; calling on her Light. It ignited in her hands, her form being enveloped with the orange glow of solar energy.

The moment she heard it crackle to life, Nelan raised the Golden Gun and fired at Brakion. A single shot echoed through the chamber.

It was enough, and the Hobgoblin fell apart; torn apart from the inside by the solar bullet.

Nelan staggered back as her Light receded to recharge. She felt a little dizzy; both from the rush of the moment and because concentrating her Light down to a single point like that was a tad draining. Celestial Nighthawk helmets made it easier, but she was without one.

“You did it!” Ivo commented, materalizing. “That was amazing, Guardian! Oh, get Murph and Lucy up.”

Nelan revived Murph first-

“Brakion’s dead? Oh- you killed him? See, Starchild; you’re much stronger than you believe.”

Then Lucy-

“Did we do it? Huh? You were alone and you took it out? Heh, you really saved the day there. I’m proud of you.”

Nelan, for one, was tired, but at least she was alive. Both she and her friends were alive.


	13. Theism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can imagine new religions formed around the Traveler's appearance in the system. idk if that's true or if it had a name, so I made one up (and apparently the best thing I could think of was 'New Terra')

Lucy isn’t sure how they got on the topic of the Traveler and Theism. Likely it was due to their conversation on whether or not another Speaker would ever be found, which had led to discussing religion. The discovery of the Traveler, alongside it’s appearance on Earth, had the unintended (though not surprising) side effect of cultivating a new religion. Lucy herself wasn’t religious, but she found her Ghost’s thoughts on the subject to be intriguing.

“So, I take it you, as a Ghost, would believe that the Traveler is like a God. A Supreme Being.” Lucy said.

“Well, first off, I wouldn’t go so far to assume that is what all Ghosts believe about the Traveler.” Zora replies. “Keep in mind that while our creation may have resulted from their actions during the Collapse, we hardly know anything about them. Secondly, there are some Ghosts who see the Traveler as a God or Supreme Being, myself included.”

“Interesting; I can understand why. You and all the Ghosts were brought into existence by the Traveler during the Collapse. Knowing that, it would make sense you would choose to believe and view it as such. I respect that.”

“Thank you. And… oddly enough- while the Traveler is my creator, the fact that I don’t know much about it doesn’t really bother me. Even with my belief, it’s okay that there are some things that remain unknown. I don’t need to understand everything. I understand that I am a piece of the Traveler, reborn, and that they created me for a purpose; to find you. That’s all I have ever known about the Traveler and that’s fine by me.”

Lucy nodded in acknowledgment. She didn’t share the same views as her Ghost, but respected her beliefs none the less. Zora was her own person, after all. She was much more than some kind of AI in a metal shell.

“Speaking of creation…” Lucy continued. “In terms of Theism, do you think that the Traveler is our source? Not as Guardians and Ghosts, I mean- life itself. Like those who follow the New Terra religion.”

“I think that’s debatable. The truth is we don’t know. Us Ghosts don’t know, despite being born from it, and Humanity never figured it out ether.”

“The Traveler did launch Humanity into a Golden Age and terraformed some of our worlds with whatever power it had back then. We know that much. Maybe that’s why those of the New Terra religion believe that.”

“Yes, the Traveler was able to do that, and maybe that is where New Terra picked up that line of thought.”

“Do you believe it?”

Zora turned to her. “...They are my creator; they gave me life and a purpose. They gave Humanity a great gift. Whether they are the creator of life as we know it remains to be seen. I think they had great power long ago, but I don’t know what I belief in terms of the creation of all life as we know it. If the Traveler once had that power, it is no longer there. They have been asleep so long…. But that’s just what I believe.”

Lucy looks up at the awakened Traveler above them; not as whole as it once had been, but now awakened once more.

“Maybe it’s just one of those things that are better left to the vast universe of our world.”

“Perhaps.”


	14. Unhealed Wounds

Neo watched Ison with concern. As soon as they left Mars and set the autopilot input, she asked to be alone and went to lay down on the cot in the back area of the ship. That’s where she was now; curled up there and unmoving. Neo could tell what happened down there was weighing down on her.

Ison was an exceptional and powerful Stormcaller. She had shown great potential in her early days as a Guardian, even serving in the battle of Twilight Gap. She trained other Warlocks, especially those who followed the Stormcaller path, and she’d even survived the raid mission into the Vault of Glass. Neo was proud to be her Ghost. However, he knew that for all her accomplishments, beneath it were still unhealed wounds.

After Twilight Gap, she was on a mission with another Guardian on Mars. The two had been fighting a troop of Cabal and their general; a high valued target made a priority for the mission. Ison had called upon her Light, letting herself become the storm, but the Cabal general had shot her in the back right as she activated it. Neo’s still not sure how, but that injury, that moment, made Ison’s Stormcaller abilities spiral out of control. She killed the Cabal general, but she almost killed the other Guardian that was with her that day as well.

The only theory Neo could come up with was that the moment Ison was shot perfectly intercepted when she went into her Stormtrance and somehow caused her to lose control of it. Ison had never really been the same since, working harder to keep the storm below the surface. She’d gotten better over the years, but he knew the incident still haunted her, and he knew she still had ‘incidents’.

Such as what had happened down on the red sands today. Ison lost control during that fight, pushed too far by the Cabal. He knew she had blacked out, coming back to herself once her Light was spent. Often Ison fell into a slump when these incidents happened.

Looking at her now, Neo wished he could do more to help; do more than offer merely words.

Well, he knew there wasn’t much he could do beyond that, no matter how much he wished, but he did know one thing. He too had his own wounds he kept hidden.

He flew towards the Warlock. “Ison… I know you said you wanted to be alone, but permit me to speak to you for a moment? I just want to tell you something.”

She was facing toward him, but it was still a moment of silence before her eyes flickered up to him. “Yeah.”

Neo settled down near her on the cot. “When I was born- well, you know I was born in the Collapse. I… don’t remember much of that time, much less like to think about it. But I remember. I remember chaos… falling… the broken form of the Traveler above me. Everything happened so fast, like a whirlwind. What I do remember is burned into my memory core, which is why I don’t like to think about it. My point is that you’re not the only one who has these wounds that never healed. I understand what it is like to live with such horrible memories we don’t like to look back on. So, if you ever need to talk about it...”

Neo trailed off, hoping that was enough, that Ison understood what he was getting at.

They lapsed into silence again, at least until one of Ison’s hands settled on the top of his shell.

“Thank you.” Came her whispered voice.

Neo closed his eye, sending a wave of comfort to her through their bond. “Of course.”


	15. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one idk.
> 
> (also yes I changed the name up a bit bc I didn't want to use the term 'gender bender' for this)

When he woke up on the red sands of Mars, Valis remembered two things. He remembered a broken piece of something in his mind, which he took as his name. The second thing he remembered was Willow, his Ghost, asking him what pronouns he preferred. He gave an answer without hesitation, to which the Ghost gave a pleased hum. She had said she just wanted to be sure, since her initial scan had turned up a few things.

He got the details out of Willow later, after getting back to Earth and helping out Tyrell-3, a Hunter he met on Mars, newly Risen too. He found the scars on his chest, although he merely shrugged.

Valis didn’t know much about himself, or who he had been before, but he knew who he was in this life.

Tyrell once asked him if he remembered anything from before, ‘before’ meaning before their respective resurrections. The Hunter was looking into his past again, feeling he was connected to the place where his Ghost revived him.

One thing lead to another in their conversations and-

“Oh, you’re- sorry, I didn’t-”

“No, no; it’s fine.” Valis assured him. “You don’t need to make a big deal out of it.”

“Well, so long as you’re happy with who you are, Valis.” Tyrell nudged his shoulder lightly. “That’s what’s important.”

“I am. That was one thing I was sure of when I woke, when Willow asked me that question.”

“Good. And if anyone gives you shit for it, tell me and I’ll kick their ass.”

Valis laughed. Tyrell really was a good friend.


	16. Vex and the City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eventually I'm gonna write a thing where Nelan takes an interest to the Truth To Power messages. Think of this as a little preview.
> 
> Also based on the act|choose|react entry of Truth To Power (mostly following along the lines of GO TO A and then GO TO L)

It’s the same as before.

The City she knew was gone. Rather, it is the City, but not the same. It is caught in a process of transformation. The City was being molded into a complex that was obviously Vex in nature. Metallic and ancient. Plant life growing on the deserted buildings. The streets transformed into pathways of Vex fluid, like rivers.

The Traveler is gone, assimilated into the Vex’s network most likely.

And she stands here alone, on this ledge looking over what was once her home.

“Nelan.”

She turns, seeing someone standing near, smiling slightly. She doesn’t know the face that looks at her, half hidden by the hood of a cloak and looking partially transformed into something more Vex-like.

They spoke with _his_ voice though.

They hold a hand out to her, and she takes it. She wants to keep looking.

“I saw this before.” She says as they descend into the half-assimilated City.

“I know. A vivid hallucination, you said.”

“Am I hallucinating now?”

They look at her, still holding her hand. “That depends on you.”

They continue on. She sees Vex around her, watching, as she and this stranger navigate the channels. They don’t shoot at her, but just watch. She and the stranger continue until they reach the center of the City. In any normal reality, they would be under the Traveler right now. Instead they stand at the edge of a Vex reservoir. There are more Vex here, watching.

“Everyone is gone now; taken into the network. We all exist there now. But...” They don’t smile anymore. “Sometimes I wonder… I have these visions of us in other places, before all this.”

“The Vex chart many different courses.” She answers plainly. “In another time, another place- this must be a simulation. A hallucination. A dream. You… You don’t exist in this form here; half turned into a Vex yourself.”

They smile again at her. The Vex have come closer. “Will you follow me into the endless dream?”

She looks around at the Vex surrounding her. They are waiting. She looks up at the empty sky, as if it would swallow her.

She doesn’t know why she does it, but she closes her eyes and she takes a step forward into the stranger’s arms.

“The time will come, my dear Guardian.”

Her Ghost is compromised by the Vex. He, holding her near, gives her to the Axis Minds.

She becomes nothing.

* * *

Nelan wakes with a jolt and throws her covers from the bed. Head swimming from the dream, she tries to leave her bed- she feels like she’s going to be sick- but only succeeded in stumbling out and falling to her knees. She stares at the ground for an unknown amount of time…

A voice eventually, hesitantly, calls to her.

“Nelan? Say something? You’re scaring me...”

She flinches, hearing the same voice she heard in the dream of the Vex and the City, but she knows if she turns she won’t see the same person. She looks behind her and sees her Ghost floating a few feet away.

“….you’re here, right?” The Hunter finally says. “And out there- the City- there’s no Vex, right?”

“Of course I am, and there’s no way there would be Vex here. Why?” He replies.

“The Vex. They had the City. Someone spoke in your voice. We became nothing.”

Ivo makes a concerned noise and flies nearer, nudging her head. She turns her gaze away. “It’s been a while since you’ve had a vision so concerning. I worry about you when this happens; it always leaves you so weak, especially after that hallucination you had. It has to do with those messages; I’m sure of it.” He’s half talking to himself at this point as he makes an arc around her head. “Come back to bed. We can talk about it in the morning if you feel up to it.”

Nelan wordlessly gets back to her feet and walks zombie-like back to her bed, collapsing in it. Ivo whispers sweet assurances into her ear, but she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to go back to sleep.


	17. I Am The Hive

“This is possibly the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

Murph kneels down next to the dead Thrall body. “Nonsense. If I wanted to do worse, I could try to sneak into a Hive death ceremony like Nelan did back during the Taken War.”

He doesn’t have anything to cut into the body, but fortunately, there are visible wounds from where the scout rifle hit. Rheya’s right in saying this is probably a bad idea, but he touches his fingers to the blood of the Thrall regardless. It was black on his gloves. He smudges it on his neck, across the front of his robe, and a streak or two on his face.

“You better hope those stains come out.” Rheya gently chided.

“We’ll find out later, assuming this works and I don’t get mauled by all those Thrall first.”

Murph switched to his Sunshot and went back toward the tunnels.

His investigation into the disappearance of a Guardian among the Hellmouth had taken him below the lunar surface. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been down here before, but, in tracking this missing Guardian, he came across chamber that had a swarm of Thrall in it. He needed to get through, but Thrall were vicious if one wasn’t careful. He ended up luring one away, and thus where his plan kicked in.

The theory was he could use Thrall blood, Hive blood really, to mask himself as he made his way through the chamber of Thrall. That’s why he lured one away, killed it, and smudged himself with the blood. Now he was about to put it to the test.

(He did tell Rheya to run far away if this didn’t work and they ended up killing him.)

He got back to the chamber, seeing the Thrall still munching away on… whatever (bones?). He took a moment to center himself, before carefully making his way though the chamber, stepping around the Thrall if he could.

‘ _I am the Hive.’_ He thought to himself as he moved. _‘I am the Hive.’_

He repeated this in his head like a mantra as he moved. Hopefully his plan was working- well, he assumed it was working since they didn’t notice him yet.

Eventually he reached the other side and stepped away from the Thrall. He would have smiled if he could.

‘ _Well, would you look at that. Interesting.’_

This was something he’d have to note down later, but for now, he had a mission. He took one last look at the Thrall and then continued into a tunnel, before any of them saw through his trick and noticed.


	18. Taken On Me

Tyrell pulled back the bow. “Alright- go!”

Valis got himself up on top of an old storage crate so he would be on higher ground than the Taken. Meanwhile, Tyrell let the void arrow of his Shadowshot fly and land in the middle of the group, reaching out and tethering them. Valis saw his chance and lit himself up in flame, throwing down a solar grenade and then turning to the next as Tyrell placed another shot down. Valis put down another grenade, and watched the Taken tethered burn in the flames.

Most of the Taken had cleared out by the third repetition and the two could relax a little now.

“We showed them.” Tyrell laughed, jogging over to him and skidding to a stop. “Praise the sun~!”

Valis laughed, but then saw something grab Tyrell by his cloak and pull him back.

The Warlock turned, startled. “Tyrell?!”

Apparently not all the Taken had been killed, as some Taken Thrall had managed to sneak up on them. At least it wasn’t a Taken Psion.

“Taken on me! Taken on me! Uh, help?!” Tyrell called out, trying to kick the Taken away.

“Oh boy- hang on!”

Valis drew his sidearm and shot at one of the Taken crowded around Tyrell. He then channeled some solar energy into his hand and pushed one of them away from his friend, setting them on fire briefly from his touch.

That was enough for Tyrell to break away and he helped Valis finish off the rest.

Once they were all completely gone this time, Tyrell looked around and then brushed off his armor.

“Thanks.” He said to Valis, giving a nod.

Valis chuckled. “Anytime.”


	19. Cabal of the Cabal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: the word cabal actually means "a secret political clique or faction".

Ison had experience when it came to dealing with the Cabal. She had history with them regarding the incident that left her Light a tangled mess. There was a scar left on her back from the Cabal general that shot her. Despite this, Ison has had her fair share of encounters and has studied the Cabal, among other enemy factions.

One thing she had studied regarding the Cabal were their movements; how they operated in their militaristic ways. Mars, and the orbiting moon Phobos, were the only recorded places where Cabal dwelled, or stationed. Mars was at least a good source to gather information about the Cabal in that regard, even if it was the only known source and they were fighting Vex half the time. Ison found that the Cabal’s battles against the Vex provided for interesting observations to look back on.

However, in the year following Crota’s defeat, Ison became aware of a faction of Cabal called the Skyburners. From what she knew, the Skyburners were supposedly a regiment yet-to-be deployed, and yet she found evidence of them on Mars. It was also in debate what kind of threat they were to the City, if any. In messages Ison was able to intercept as well, there were a few mentions of an “emperor”. From all she knew, she kind of got the impression that the Cabal were trying to keep this hushed, even though she had evidence they existed. Part of a secret plan maybe? Were they training on Mars for something?

In time, Ison traced them back to Phobos; the moon in orbit around Mars and the location of a Cabal base. Other Guardians had already noted this as well and there were sometimes whispers around the Tower of the Skyburners. Ison, wanting further information on the Skyburners in light of this, one day returned to Mars intending to do just that.

During her stay in the Buried City, tracking movements of Cabal troops and keeping an eye out for the Skyburners, intercepted a message. Or rather, she intercepted a signal.

“Neo, can you analyze this for me?” She asked her Ghost when she caught it.

“Give me a moment.” Her Ghost interfaced with the trace equipment she had brought out with her to confirm what exactly this signal was. When he was done, he turned to Ison. “This is a surprise. It’s not a message, but a signal of some sort coming down along the Skyburner line we hacked into last month. Origin point is Phobos.”

Ison looked at him, confused. “But we’ve never been able to get any outgoing messages or signals from Phobos. Just the Skyburner troops on the ground.”

“Must be important. They’re broadcasting across all channels.”

“Send it along to the Vanguard. I think Nelan’s in the area, so let’s recommend we send her up there to see what’s going on.”

“Is that wise?”

“She went through the Cabal’s exclusion zone to find the Black Garden. I think she’ll be okay.”

“And what will you do?”

Ison tuned back to her trace equipment. “See if we can find out anything from down here to guide her.”


	20. Fallen Into Sin

Originally, he’d been asked to come to the Tangled Shore to help Nelan with the Scorned Barons. Tyrell-3 jumped at the chance, itching to get some revenge since Uldren had shot down and killed his mentor, Cayde. Nelan’s message was the perfect opportunity and he headed out to the Shore as soon as he was able.

It was there that he met Spider; the Fallen kingpin of the Tangled Shore. In the course of hunting down the Barons, gathering leads for Nelan, that Tyrell eventually found himself running various tasks for Spider. Not how he pictured spending his time here, but due to the deal Nelan made with Spider, some compromises had to be made. Aka, Spider kept calling on him to cash in favors since Nelan was busy.

Often times, this involved working with Spider’s personal gang of Fallen.

“Is this what it’s like to be in a mafia?” Tyrell pondered aloud to his Ghost, Bastian, when he was working once again with the Fallen that wore spiky armor.

“Don’t complain such, Hunter.” Spider spoke through his coms. Must have overheard over the channel. “Make sure those supplies are secured.”

“I was talking to Bastian, but whatever. We’ve got it, Spider.”

Tyrell and his Fallen allies (?) were able to secure some supplies- well, supplies, meaning some contraband running through New Monarchy channels. Since Tyrell had a clear dislike for New Monarchy, this didn’t really bother him much.

Some rouge gangs of Fallen tried to make off with the supplies and a brief firefight broke out. Tyrell and his allies came out on top, although when they got to safety with the supplies, he noticed one of the servitors was slightly injured. With a sigh, knowing this was probably a bad idea, he took a look at the servitor and set about fixing it up.

He’d never worked with a servitor before. It was nothing like the Ghosts or ships he’s worked on, but with some help from one of the other Fallen with him, Tyrell was able to get the servitor fixed.

When he was done, the servitor looked at him and made a noise that- was it appreciation? Gratitude? Tyrell was unsure.

On the way back to Spider’s hideout, Tyrell thought it over. “What has my life become, Bastian?”

“If it helps, I think you’ve made a friend.”

“What an oddity of a friend then.”


	21. Hell Hath No Fury Like A Scorn

There was a fine indigo mist on the ground; Ether trails. Usually this was a tell-tale sign of Fallen, but Ivo said that there was something off about this; something wrong.

At the time, Nelan acknowledged it, but was more focused on finding Cayde or Petra, thought she was more worried about Cayde. She’d caught sight of him as he fell downward, seconds before his little stunt brought the structure she was on down as well. She had woken up with Ivo hovering above her, trying to get either of them on the coms. She’d fallen 20 stories down, but Ivo had revived her.

Nelan followed the trails along the platforms until she came to a room with a door stuck half open. She was able to pry it open, but once inside, she caught sight of something that she thought was Fallen.

But she soon realized that what she was looking at was not Fallen.

The thing caught notice of her and decided then to attack her; coming at her with something on fire hanging from a chain- Oh. This thing had no head!

Nelan fired her sidearm at this thing, though it took more bullets than she thought it would to kill it. Two more came at her and she fired at them also. She got one, but the second got close enough to swipe at her with the item- a lantern maybe- hanging from the chain. She tried to doge, but whatever was on fire in the lantern still managed to catch her in the side, sending a flare of stinging heat over her. She couldn’t help but cry out.

She fell to the floor, but she managed to get up and scramble away. Ivo transmatted her sword to her and she got up and cut down the advancing creature; a brief and with a thin flash of light.

A shot came out from somewhere, catching her shoulder, and when she whirled around, she saw a creature similar to the other. This one two she quickly cut down with her sword. Another jumped onto her, snarling, but she pushed them off and they met her blade as well. A few more tried to swarm her, but they all met the same fate. By the Traveler- they were vicious.

“I don’t sense anything else.” Ivo informed her from his phased state when they were all gone. “What are these things?”

“I’m not sure.” She looked around at the dead bodies around her. “They look like Fallen, but mutated like the Gelida.”

“No way these are Gelida. They do most closely resemble Fallen, but at the same time they’re not. Vicious things too.”

“Yeah...” She had Ivo store her sword away and she took up her sidearm once more. “We gotta keep going. We need to find Cayde and Petra.”

“Still can’t get them on coms, but I’m detecting activity beneath us.”

“Guide me there.”

She find more of those things down there, she knew that… but that didn’t compare to what she found at the end.

It was later on she would learn the name “Scorn”.


	22. Weaponized

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the revealed prompt was "humanized weapons".   
> I went with my favorite exotic, the Graviton Lance. This is just a brief thing, as I couldn't really think of much.

There were rumors of a Warlock that had been found on Io with… an interesting variation of Void abilities.

An Awoken who could light up a fight like they were a nebula.

The story goes, from those who know the Warlock, their Ghost had found them after the Red War on the moon of Io. They were slightly panicked, especially when encountering Taken (and a few Vex) while trying to find other Guardians or a way off Io. They displayed Voidwalker abilities early on post-revival, and trained as one of Ikora’s students.

They eventually, in part of the Voidwalker abilities, took the nickname “Graviton”.


End file.
